-----------· b 1 fe but lhc held faller ·he went away, but fhe trailed after, et:ying to him, not to b: fo~-r~ell to hrr lw own child, JVho came tnto the world by him: This fo wonoerfu 1ly wrought with his nature, that he thought (as he often reported) that dl h:s bowels rowled abuunrithin him, and that hts heart would have burftprcfendy, tmd there mfta•. tly have dyed.--- But notwithfl:aildmg all this, being_ armed With a fupcrnaturall and heavenly fortitude, he broke through all thofc temptations, and for 8hnlts fake denyed 11 and fo returned to Geneva (where Mafl:cr Calvm then lived) a glonousfe!f-dC71yal, ~r ~ glor~ous dwyer of his n.1wralfeif. And thus muc~ of denyiug our relat1ons. S E C T. 8. Of tbe Denyal of ottr jpecinl Gifts ; and fi•ft of Camiuns. 2 • v\ 7E are conditional!y to deny our fpea.ial giffts a_nd endowments;As learning,. V wifdome,power,or any other abllmes o mmd and body. In profecutwn { Cautions. of this I fhall give fome DireClions. The Cautions are thefe,-- · · 1. fhat learning, wifdome, abilities',, pre in ;h~IJ![elves excellent things. cAneas Sylvius in his Epiltlc to Stg>j;,mnd Duke of Att.flri,,_fmd,that •fthe fare, c-;.m rf ht:mane Learning cou!t. bttt beJeen~ tt isfairer:> and more bcauttfui thca the mo~nmg, or the C'Ventn.{ jlarre .- how much more may be faid in refpeCl of divine, fpiritml, lh,ological. learning, whofc fuojc~l is God, and Chrill, and the things of God? in thiS refpeCl therefore we mull: not deny th-m. . 2. Notwith,1anding the excellency of teaming, wifdome, or other abilities, ye'£ muil: we deny them, a~ in thefe cafes, -- ' . 129 1. In refpc:'l: of any high thoughts of ours, ofany overweening conceit of our own excellencies Be not •nj: in onr u.vn cuiiceit, faith t~e Apoftle; to which agrees that of Rom. 12 · • 6 • Sdlomon, lean not to thine own rmd·,ftandmg, - - be not wife m thine ol7n eyes. It is a fad thing to tee in thefe times how all our debates, differences, controvcrfies, even in fpiri- Prov. J. ~. 1· tua\ matters, do nlmoll favour nothing clfe bur of the affectation of natural! wifdome, fubtilry, eloquence , how cloth pride move men to outfl:rip one another, either by fhewing their parts, os W it, Language, Reading, Philofophy, Hifl:ory, and other learning; or by lafhing ane\ fm1ting one another with the tongue, to feek a conquefl rather by the infamy of others, then by the armour of righteou(nejfo on the right hand ar.d on the left I By thefc unchrifl:ian and unconfcionable wayes the more aple m~n :rre, the moredefl:ruC!ivc they make themfelves to the comforts of their brethren,and the neerer their debates relate unto Religion, the further offthey fer thcmfelves, aod othcrs,from the Kingdom of Jefus Chrifl:. The refpectwhich is \me\ to gain credite with men, tolofe no ground in the debate, and to be thought leaders in the caufe, together· wi~h the fe~r}eil' they !hot!ld be· foyled in any thing, cloth even fl:rip themOfa\t Chrifl:i<in fimpl.clty._ Wuh the lo1vly is wifdome, (faith Solomon) whereas from pride chmcth Jhame. Prov. 11. 2. That w1fdome cannot be true, which brings us nearer to our own wit, ancl further off from the fimplicity and humility which is in Chrifl: Jefus. I fuppofe this is one caufe why fo much contempt is now call: upon the nar1l._c of learning. though it may be wrongfully by men, yet defervedly as from God ; and I belecve God wiU not ceafe to flam the pruie·ofall theirglory, and theirgmunejfo, by a fi.Jll difcoveryof their iliafne, t1ll they that are learned do fhew themfelves willing to be reformed herein. 2 · _In rcfpect of any ufe of them according to the world. Of this God fpeaketh when he fatth, !will deflroy the wifdome ofth'e ;>i>i(e, and wz/1 brmg to nothmg thumd,jfandmg 1 Cor. '· '9· ofthe prudent. And thus the Apofl:le triumphed over the W 1fards of the world, faymg Where" the Wife ) where ts the Scnbe l where u the Difputer ofthiS world I Harh not God made fooltfluhe wifdome of thtS world .? Worldly wifdome ufually fcorns and d1fdam~ 1 Cor. •· 30 " the great my!l:enes of godlmeffe,foolifhneffe of Preaching, fimplic1ty of the Samts . but thxs wifdome defcendeth notfrom above, (falth the Apo/lle,) thtiwifdome u but ea;thlJ, , fonfira!l, dhevtlijh; I,· Earthly, it minds only earthly th;ngs; though a man be tb paffe James. '3. •s, ' pe.rhaps t e next day, the nexr hour, the next moment to thar dreadful nibnnal of God, yet 1tfo glues his-hopes, delircs-, projects, refolutions to earthly, rranfitotypelf, · S D~
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